


Larabee Initiative: Operation Margarita

by farad



Series: Larabee Initiative [2]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen, Larabee Initiative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-11 00:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5606116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of "The Larabee Initiative" (Mag 7 Crossover with the Marvel-verse, SHIELD, media and comic verses): this one skips ahead from the first story, to cover JD's receipt of a pony (For Deannie).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Larabee Initiative: Operation Margarita

**Author's Note:**

> For the Magnificent Seven Daybook Stockings 2016, JD gets a pony.

“Horses?” The kid was wide-eyed now, looking even more young and innocent than he had back at the hotel, when they'd left. “I've never ridden a horse.” 

 

Chris turned away, trying not to grin. Maybe this would keep the kid out of danger. 

 

“Well, maybe that's a sign, then,” Buck said, picking up the same line of thought. “You can stay here and keep an eye on things here, let us know if there's a problem - “ 

 

“How many times have you been on a horse?” the kid, JD, cut in, standing a little straighter as he glared at Buck. 

 

On the other side of the porch, Chris saw Tanner look up, then he, too, looked away, but not before his lips turned up. Jackson and Sanchez were talking with Tomas, but all three had stopped to watch the exchange. 

 

Buck put his hands on his hips, a sure sign, as Chris knew too well, that he was about to throw out some bullshit. “I've been riding horses since I was your age, JD,” he said, cocking one hip to the side and putting his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans. “Learned the hard way, got thrown a few times, learned how to fall, how to deal with a stubborn horse, and one with it's own mind. You got to know how to show 'em who's the boss.”

 

Chris knew better. He knew he should stay out of this – Buck was on the way to getting the kid out of the line of fire, getting him off the mission. 

 

But Chris had known Buck too long – and how many times already had Buck intruded himself into the mix, calling Chris' bluff as he tried to bring some attitude of authority to this situation? No matter how much he wanted to keep the kid here, safe in the town – he wanted to get even with Buck even more. 

 

As he opened his mouth to ask about a few of the adventures they'd had in the past centering on Buck's lack of equestrian abilities, Buck cannily cut him off.

 

“Now ol' Chris here, he's the one who taught me everything I know about horses and about riding. He grew up on a farm, and he's been friendly with horses since he was old enough to walk under their bellies – that's according to his ma.” 

 

The good humor Chris had been feeling drained away. Damn Buck, bringing up the past. He stepped over and said pointedly, “Leave it, Buck.” 

 

But it was too late. The kid was right there, standing so close to Chris that he could smell the Axe cologne the kid had been wearing for the past two days. “You taught Buck to ride?” he asked, his tone sharp and a little shrill. 

 

“No,” Chris said, glaring at Buck. “He's still waiting to learn how to do that. I taught him how to not fall off a tame horse.” 

 

Behind him, he heard a few snickers and he saw Buck cut his eyes at the people on the porch, but no one said anything. 

 

The kid said, “Then can you teach me? I want to go with you.” 

 

“It ain't like riding a bike,” Chris said, still glaring at Buck. “When you fall off a horse – and you will – it's a lot longer drop. Horses have their own personalities, just like people. And just like people, they don't always want to do what you want them to.” He said the last part slowly and clearly, trying to make the point. 

 

But JD was resolute, something that both annoyed Chris and made him respect the young man. “I understand that,” he said. He looked off toward the corral, where the collection of the Genizaro horses were. “There's got to be one that's not too stubborn.” 

 

“Yeah,” Chris agreed. “We need that one for Buck.” 

 

Tomas chose that moment to be helpful, damn him. “We have an older mare. She is small but sturdy, and very well mannered. We use her to teach the young ones to ride.”

 

“Young ones?” JD asked, turning to the tribal leader. “My age?” 

 

Tomas frowned. “Young ones. The ones who have learned to walk. Once they can walk, they can ride.”

 

JD blinked. “You mean, when they're two or three  years old ?”

 

Tomas shrugged. “If not before. Riding is a part of our way of life. It always has been.”

 

JD's eyes were wide but he nodded as if he understood. “Well, I guess if kids can do it, I can. So what do I need to do to start?” 

 

Tomas glanced to Chris and Chris sighed. He waved a hand to Tomas who turned back to JD. “Let us find you a horse,” he said.

 

She was small but muscular, as Tomas had said. A deep chestnut brown with white stockings and a white blaze along her nose. She looked up as Tomas stopped at the fence and called out her name, her tail flicking back and forth and her ears swiveling toward him. With a jerk of her head, she started over to him, walking briskly. 

 

Tomas reached into the pocket of his worn leather vest and drew out a small apple, which he presented to her on his palm. “A very sweet girl,” he said as she lipped it carefully from his hand and crunched it in her big teeth. 

 

“Margarita?” JD asked. Tomas pulled out another of the small apples and held it out to JD. “You named her after a drink?” 

 

The older man frowned and looked at JD. “It is a flower,” he said shortly. “I believe in your language, it means 'daisy'.” 

 

JD's cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, but Tomas didn't persist. Instead, he said, “You should woo a horse the way you woo a woman. Introduce yourself with a gift.” 

 

“Maybe that's where you're going wrong,” Chris said to Buck, still glaring at him. 

 

Buck shrugged and grinned, but his attention was on JD who was offering the apple, cautiously, to the horse.  JD jumped when her lips graze d his palm as she took it from him. Those watching knew that she was being gentle, but JD stepped back, even though there was a fence between them.

 

“Easy there,” Buck said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “She ain't gonna bite you.” 

 

“No,” Tomas agreed, “she most certainly is not. As your friend said, you cannot fear horses. While most are not by nature mean, they will take advantage of you if you do not show them that they cannot. Even the most gentle will resist being used – as humans do, as well. Treat them with respect but also with control.” He moved the few steps to the gate and opened it. The horses nearby murmured and moved about, most stepping forward but Tomas waved a hand and said loudly, “Go back,” and they did.

 

“Margarita,” he called, and the smaller horse stepped over to him. He caught her by the halter and looked back to where JD stood, in the opening made by the gate but not yet in the corral. “You cannot ride a horse if you are afraid to come near them.” 

 

Chris watched, hoping this was the point where JD would decide that enough was enough. This mess was no t a place for someone with no training and no experience to be. 

 

As if hearing his thoughts, JD turned and looked at him. As if Chris had spoken the dare aloud, JD said, “I can do this, and I will do this.” 

 

And with that, he stepped into the corral and walked up to where Tomas was holding the horse. 

 

Chris turned, planning to walk away, when JD's voice called clearly back to him. “Mr. Larabee, are you going to train me? Otherwise, you'll never be happy with anything I do.” 

 

Chris started to retort that it didn't matter, this whole idea wasn't making him happy, but as the words settled on his tongue, a voice beside him said softly, “Kid ain't as stupid as you think he is.” Tanner was leaning on the fence nearby, appearing in his stealthy, unexpected way. “Maybe you oughta give him a try. Unlike the rest of us, you might find him easier to trust.” He turned and grinned at Chris before pushing off the fence and walking toward the barn. 

 

Bastard. But he couldn't muster any actual anger at the other man, more a sense of guilt – which he wasn't prepared for. 

 

“We don't have time for this,” he said, but he walked into the corral and looked at Tomas. “Gonna need tack.”

 

Tomas nodded. “Best way to start is by teaching them to dress their mounts.” 

 

On that, and on most other things, Chris and Tomas agreed. 

 

He had more important things that needed doing. They needed ammunition – but Josiah, Miguel, and the woman Inez were working on that. They needed information – but Jackson, Mary Travis, and Standish were working on that, as was Buck, but that was just for him to know. 

They needed an idea of the terrain they were going into, but Tanner and Imala, Tomas' son,  had ridden out before dawn, and now that they were back, they were working on the map and the gear. 

 

So he stayed in the corral, working with Tomas to train the kid to ride. And after three hours, the kid sat the saddle pretty well. He'd made it through most of the paces – walking, trotting, loping – and he had only taken a tumble once. That had been on mounting, when he had pulled too hard on the reins while throwing a leg over. 

 

As they watched him trot around the corral, Buck calling out corrections, as if he knew what he was talking about, Tomas said, “He is not a natural, but he can be taught. And Margarita does seem to like him, which is a good sign.” 

 

“Real test will be tomorrow,” Chris said, not able to hide his grin. “See if he can get back in the saddle.” 

 

Tomas grinned as well. “You may yet get your wish. He may not be able to walk, much less ride.” 

 

“That's one way to keep him alive,” Chris said. 

 

“He is young and proud,” Tomas said, watching as the kid tried to spur the horse faster. Margarita, a good horse, knew her rider wasn't ready and she resisted his urgings, keeping a steady pace. The way he was bouncing up and down on her was a sure sign he wasn't ready to go faster. Nearby, Buck called out to him to tighten his grip with his knees, and JD called back something that Chris couldn't understand but it made Buck grin. 

 

“Carve that on his tombstone,” Chris said grimly. “We don't have time to be nursemaiding a beginner.” 

 

“Perhaps he is a good sign,” Tomas said. “Sometimes, the young ones are the better warriors as they do not have the sense to stop when they should.” 

 

Before Chris could argue, Margarita finally gave into the prompting and broke out of the trot into a lope and then into a gallop. JD bounced along, almost falling off until he managed to get a hold around the horse's neck. With that, he managed to settle into the horse's rhythm, and as the horse ran around the corral, he straightened up in the saddle, gather ed the reins, and  found a pattern. On the second loop around the corral, he called out, “I can ride!” 

 

Buck whooped out a laugh and several of the Natives around the corral who had been watching started to cheer. 

 

Feeling overly confident, JD gathered the reins in one hand, and reached for the holster on the back of his belt. 

 

“No, JD!” Chris yelled, knowing what the idiot was going to do. He was going to try to hit the target they had been using for practice last night. 

 

Tomas seemed to realize it as well and he waved his arms, calling to the horse to slow down.

 

But JD wasn't listening and he aimed the revolver at the target on the side of the barn. “And I can shoot!” he yelled, pulling the trigger.  
  
Margarita, not prepared for the shot, halted almost in mid-stride, effectively bucking as her body doubled, arching up, and JD flew into the air. Chris held his breath, then released it when JD came down on the ground in a pile of sand near the barn.

 

There was a split second of silence until he moved, groaning. Standish, who was walking up, was the first to laugh and call out, “And he can fly!” 

 

Buck joined in  the laughter , as did most of the others standing around. JD started to open his mouth, but Margarita, running once more, ran past him so close that she knocked him back and into the water trough. 

 

“And he can swim, too!” Buck called, laughing loudly. 

 

Chris found himself laughing as JD, streaming with water, struggled to get himself out of the trough. “Damnation!” he sputtered, falling back again as his hands slipped on the wet metal lip. 

 

“Shooting guns around horses is not a good plan, not unless they are trained to expect it,” Tomas said, trying not to grin too broadly. 

 

“I thought you said they were trained,” JD snapped, finally managing to get himself out of the trough. He looked around until he found his gun, which had fallen beside the trough, thankfully, and not into it. 

 

Tomas chuckled then, and Chris looked at him, amused and confused, until the elder spoke. “They are trained in the Native way of fighting. The sound of war cries overcomes any other sound.” 

 

“And bows and arrows ain't nearly as loud as guns,” Tanner said, appearing again at the fence to the corral. 

 

“Come on, boy,” Buck said, opening the gate and going through to slap JD on the back. Mist wafted about them as water was forced from his shirt. “Let's catch that gal and get her rubbed down for the evening. That's the other part of having a horse, gotta take off what you put on. Just like a woman.” He chuckled at his own wit while JD rolled his eyes, and Chris snorted. 

 

“If he can walk in the morning,” Tomas said, turning to Chris, “he can ride.” With that, he pushed off the fence and headed over to a group of his men in the pasture adjacent to the corral. 

 

Chris nodded, not willing at this point to take a bet on it. Instead, he turned to Standish who had moved in close. 

 

“You got something?” he asked. 

 

The gambler grinned at him, the gold tooth flashing once more. He looked more in place now, dressed in a pair of dark denim pants, black riding boots, a cream cotton shirt over which he wore a dark leather vest. The shirt was open at the throat and Chris saw the gleam of a gold chain. “I have it on good authority that the men in question are, indeed, looking to purchase the parts for a nuclear device – though it may not be a weapon so much as a machine. Speculation in the people I have contacted is that they are working to build a time machine.” 

 

“A – what?” Tanner said. He stepped back, as if Standish were dangerous. 

 

Sanchez and Jackson also appeared, in time to hear the current conversation. Sanchez was the one to pick up the thread of the conversation. “It's a theory that's getting a lot of play right now,” he said. “There's a rumor that a team at CERN has had some breakthroughs with the physics, but nothing has been published.” 

 

“Uranium?” Standish asked, tilting his head to stare up at the big man.

 

Sanchez drew in a breath but considered the question. “Makes sense. CERN is the particle accelerator of the world, and they have other things going on. If the rumor has gotten out to the point that I've heard about it, then it stands to reason that our 'friends' have, too.” 

 

Time travel. The very idea of it was mind boggling. But then, so what the idea of men who could fly, and men who could take a serum and become super-soldiers, and men who could create iron body suits that let them fly, and carry advanced weaponry and fly into outer space. And gods from Valhalla and their evil brothers and – Chris shook his head. Reality was what you decided to believe. And he knew enough to accept that whether he believed it or not, it was out there, and it was coming for them. 

 

And time travel . . . to go back and time and save Sarah and Adam. 

 

“They need uranium – a lot of it, as I understand it. They probably got the tech they needed when they broke into the Fridge and took everything out of there. If they know what they have, then they have more than enough technology to do what they want, they just need the power.” Sanchez looked out across the desert, shaking his head. The rest was left unsaid because it was clear: the uranium was the power source. 

 

“With a time machine, they can go back to World War II and change everything,” Jackson said. “They can stop their defeat, get rid of the Captain and stop the creation of - “

 

“So we have to stop them,” Sanchez said. “And we have to stop them from ever thinking about doing this again.”

 

“That's a big order,” Standish said, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do you propose we do that?” 

 

They all turned to look at Chris. He looked at each of them, considering the situation. After a time, he said, “Whatever we have to.”

 

Standish drew a breath, as if he would push the point, but Tanner cut him off with a waved hand as he walked away, saying, “That ain't a plan, Larabee. Best think on it and let us know in the morning.” 

 

The others looked from Tanner's retreating back to Chris and back. Then Sanchez and Jackson started talking to each other and slowly moved away, leaving Standish facing Chris. 

 

“He's right, of course, it's not a plan.” But as Standish said it, his lips twitched and his eyes took on a shine that could have been a reflection of the setting sun – but it could also have been something else. 

 

As they walked away, they could hear JD in the barn, stridently saying, “But I can ride, Buck, I can ride a horse!” 

 

*&*&*&*&*&*&


End file.
